Case StudiesRetailFashion Forward Retail
Retail

Fashion Forward Achieves 98% Holiday Staffing with 3-Day Time-to-Hire

A national retailer transforms seasonal hiring from chaos to competitive advantage

RetailSeasonal HiringHigh-VolumeMobile

Fashion Forward Retail

Apparel Retail

12,000+ employees
Los Angeles, CA
Founded 2005
+26%
Positions Filled
-79%
Time-to-Hire
-71%
Cost per Hire
-80%
Manager Time/Week
-77%
Interview No-Shows
+18%
Holiday Sales

Overview

Fashion Forward Retail, a fast-fashion retailer with 450 stores nationwide, dreaded the annual holiday hiring season. With a need to hire 5,000 seasonal associates in 6 weeks, their manual processes resulted in understaffed stores, lost sales, and exhausted managers. They needed a solution that could handle massive volume without sacrificing quality.

The Challenges

Massive Hiring Volume

Need to hire 5,000 seasonal associates across 450 stores in a 6-week window with limited recruiting staff.

Store Manager Burden

Store managers spending 15+ hours per week on recruiting during the busiest sales season.

Inconsistent Quality

No standardized screening leading to high variability in seasonal hire quality and customer service.

High No-Show Rate

35% of scheduled interviews resulted in no-shows, wasting manager time and delaying hiring.

The Solutions

High-Volume Hiring Automation

Deployed AI-powered screening and automated scheduling to process thousands of applications daily.

AI resume screeningAutomated phone screensSelf-service schedulingBulk offer processing

Mobile-First Candidate Experience

Created seamless mobile application and onboarding experience for Gen Z candidates.

One-click applyText-based communicationMobile onboardingDigital I-9 completion

Predictive Staffing Model

Used historical data and sales forecasts to predict staffing needs by store and department.

Demand forecastingStore-level planningDepartment allocationFlex pool management

Implementation Timeline

Pre-Season Setup

4 weeks

Platform configuration and integration with HRIS and scheduling systems.

Platform configured
Workday integration live
Screening criteria set
Manager training completed

Campaign Launch

2 weeks

Multi-channel recruitment campaign launch with social media and job board integration.

Job postings live
Social campaigns launched
QR codes in stores
Referral program activated

High-Volume Processing

6 weeks

Automated processing of applications with AI screening and self-service scheduling.

50,000+ applications processed
5,000+ hires completed
Daily progress tracking
Real-time adjustments

Rapid Onboarding

Continuous

Mobile-first onboarding enabling new hires to complete paperwork before first shift.

Same-day offer acceptance
Pre-shift onboarding
Training module completion
First-day readiness

The Results

+26%
Positions Filled
78%98%
-79%
Time-to-Hire
14 days3 days
-71%
Cost per Hire
$425$125
-80%
Manager Time/Week
15 hrs3 hrs
-77%
Interview No-Shows
35%8%
+18%
Holiday Sales
Baseline+18%

Record Holiday Sales

Achieved 18% increase in holiday sales attributed to fully-staffed stores and better service.

Manager Satisfaction Up 45%

Store managers reported dramatically improved work-life balance during peak season.

Seasonal-to-Permanent Pipeline

28% of seasonal hires converted to permanent positions, reducing year-round recruiting needs.

What They Say

"For the first time ever, we were fully staffed for Black Friday. The automation handled the volume while I focused on running my store. It was a game-changer."

Jennifer Adams
Regional HR Manager

"We went from dreading holiday hiring to it being our competitive advantage. Fully staffed stores mean better customer service and higher sales."

Michael Torres
Chief Operating Officer

"The mobile experience resonates with our candidates. They can apply, schedule, and complete onboarding all from their phone. It's how Gen Z expects to interact."

Ashley Kim
Director of Talent Acquisition

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